Bleeding Bangalore dry

Bleeding Bangalore dry

With the demand for water spiralling, the private tankers are eyeing borewells in residential areas for commercial supply.
Deccan Herald

Worried about your borewell suddenly going dry? Keep an eye on your neighbour. For, he may be selling water to private water tanker companies.

With the increasing demand for water in the periphery of Bangalore and more number of borewells getting dry, private tanker water firms are now tapping groundwater from borewells owned by individuals in residential areas to run their business.

The result— groundwater table has depleted to alarming levels in and around Bangalore. Such is the gravity of the situation that neighbours (residing next to those selling borewell water) have lodged complaints with the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) about the commercial use of water. Over and above, the residents’ grouse is that their borewells, even wells are fast getting dry, BWSSB officials told Deccan Herald.

More Complaints are flowing from new BMP wards, especially Domlur, Kadugondanahalli, J P Nagar, Byappanahalli, Airport ward, Mattikere and others places. Apart from the fact that water is being sold, the continuous movement of water tankers, from early morning till late in the night, is causing a lot of problems in the residential areas, especially for students preparing for examinations.

A latest survey by the Department of Mines and Geology has revealed that water table is depleting by five feet every year and water is presently available at an average 600 to 700 feet in and around the city. Water table was recorded at 300 to 400 feet in most parts only a decade ago.

As per the statistics, there are more than five lakh borewells in Bangalore and nearly 70 per cent of them are in the jurisdiction of seven City Municipal Councils (CMCs) and one Town Municipal Council (TMC). This is because borewells are the only source of drinking water for residents in CMCs and TMC.

With BWSSB extending Cauvery water supply to all 100 wards of the city, residents in these places (27 new BMP wards) are no longer dependant on borewells. But instead of abandoning them, many residents (owing borewells) are now selling ground water, officials sources said.

“The business of selling water has picked up in recent times in many parts of Bangalore. Private borewell owners are finding it lucrative to sell water as they earn money without any investment. Borewell owners get Rs 100 to Rs 150, while tanker companies sell it for Rs 300 to Rs 400 for each tank of water, official sources said.

No regulation
However, while the officials say there is no regulation on ground water use and the BWSSB keeping mum as the ground water does not fall under its purview, the Mines and Geology department is hoping that the decade-old Ground Water Regulation Bill would become an Act. “We cannot initiate any action as there is no regulation on the use of ground water. Presently, anybody digs a borewell, draws any amount of water and sells it. This trend has resulted in depletion of water table,” the Additional Director of the Department of Mines and Geology T N Venugopal said.

However, the act has to be amended. Though the Karnataka Revenue Act states that all resources below the ground belong to the land owner, water is an exception. For, there cannot be any clear-cut demarcation for water.“When one pumps underground water, it is drawn from all direction. Hence, the commercial use of ground water can be questioned,” he explained.